Inte Omri
(You Are My Life)

This page contains the English-language translation to the song lyrics of "Inte Omri", an Egyptian classical song which was made popular by Oum Kalthoum in 1965. It is sometimes spelled as "Inta Omri", "Enta Omri", or "Ente Omri".

Lyrics: Ahmed Shafik
Music: Mohamed Abdel Wehab

The full length of this song, including its instrumentals, is about 40 minutes. Over the years, different recordings of this were made during her varying concerts, so different lengths of the song may be offered by vendors.

Oum Kalthoum was born in 1904 and died in 1975. She was unquestionably the most gifted singer and musician of the 20th century in the Middle East. She was continuously popular for over 50 years and her songs are still played nightly on any number of Arabic-language radio stations. Oum Kalthoum is one of four vocalists who have achieved legendary status in Egyptian music. The other three are Farid al-Atrache, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, and Abdel Halim Hafez.

Her name is transliterated many different ways in the Roman alphabet, including Um Kulthum, Om Kalsoum, Umm Kulthoum, Om Kalthoum, Umm Kalsum, Oum Kalthum, Oum Kolthoum, Oum Kaltsoum, and others.

Listen to MP3 Clips of this Song

Instrumental Segment from Version Sung by Oum Kalthoum

Lyrics

Note from Shira: Two different transliterations and translations of this song have been contributed to this web site. I have decided to make both available. Song lyrics are poetry, and it can be challenging for a translator to communicate nuances of meaning. By having two translations to use, you can explore two different people's ideas on how to convey these nuances.

This translation was provided by Linda Grondahl, by way of Lennie Clark's web site. The translator was Nicole Ibrahim.

(Note from Lennie Clark: There is some wonderful footage of Umm Kalthoum singing this song, accompanied by Mohammed Abdel Wahab and orchestra, in the documentary "Umm Kulthoum, a Voice Like Egypt". That historic performance was the first joint performance of these two great artists.)

Arabic Lyrics

English Lyrics

Part 1

Part 1

Ragaounee eineik lei ayame elee raheit

They brought me back, your eyes, to my days that

Aleinou nee andam, alal maadee wei geiraho

They taught me to regret the past and its wounds

Elee shooftou, able ma tshoufak eineya

What I have seen, before, have seen you, my eye

Omr da-yea, yeihseibou eizai alaya

Is a lost life, counting it, how on me

Enta omree, elee eibtada bei nourak saba

You're my life, that started its morning with you

Adei eih men omree ablak rah wei ada ya habibi

Has much from my life before you has gone by, oh my darling

Wala shaf el alb ablak farha wahda

Neither has he seen the heart, before you, one joy

Wala daa fei donia gheir taam el geirah

Neither has he tasted in life besides the taste of so*

Eibtadeit deilwa'tee bass, aheib omree

I started now only, to love my life

Eibtadeit deilwa'tee akhaaf, akhaaf lal omr eigree

I started now to fear, to fear that life would run

Part 2

Part 2

Kol farha eishta'ha mein ablak khayalee

Every joy that longed for it before you my in*

Eilta aha fee nour eineik albee wei feikree

It has found it in the light of your eyes, my heart and *

Ya hayaat albee, ya aghla min hayatee, lei

Oh you, the light of my heart, o you dearest than my life*

Lei, ma albeilneesh hawak ya habibi badree

Why, it didn't meet me your love earlier

Part 3

Part 3

El layalee el heilwa, weil sho', weil mahaba

The beautiful night, and the longing, and the love*

Mein zamaan, wil alb ahayeilhom ashaanak

From a long time, and the heart is heaping them fo*

Dou' ma-aya el hob, Dou' haba bei haba

Taste with me the love, taste, little by little

Min hanaan albee, elee taal sho-o lei hananak

From the tenderness of my heart, that longed for your tenderness

Ya habibi taala, wei keifaya elee fatna

Oh, my love come, and it's enough what we missed

Howa fatna ya habib el rooh showaya

Is what we missed oh the love of my soul a little

Ya aghla mein ayamee

Oh, dearer than my days

Ya aghla min ahlmee

Oh more beautiful than my dreams

Khodnee lei hanaanak, khodnee

Take me to your tenderness, take me

An el weigoud weib-eidnee

From my existence and far away

Bei-eed, ana winta, wahdeena

Far away, mee and you, are above

Al hob teis-ha ayam-na

Oh, love, our days, we'll wake up

Al sho' teinaam layaleena

Sleeping our nights missing each other

Saleiht beek ayanee

Reconsidered because of you my day

Sameiht beek el saman

I forgave because of you, the past times

Naseitnee beek alamee

You made me forget my pains

Weinseet ma-ak el shagan

And I forgot with you bitterness

* Lennie wasn't able to decipher the copy she received from Linda

Translation by Hani Guirguis, Provided by Yasmina Ramzy

This translation was provided to this web site by Yasmina Ramzy. The translator was her late friend Hani Guirguis.

Arabic Lyrics

English Lyrics

Ragaaouni aeinaik el Ayam illi rahou

Your eyes took me back to my days that are gone

Aalamouni andam aala El-Madhi wi
gerahou

They taught me to regret the past and its wounds.

Illi shouftouh kabli ma tshoufak ainaih

Whatever I saw before my eyes saw you was a wasted
life.

Omri dhayea yehsibouh izay aalaya?

How could they consider that part of my life?

Inta Omri illi ibtada bnourak sabahouh

With your light, the dawn of my life started

Ad eyh min omri kablak ray w aada

How much of my life before you was lost

Ya habibi ad eyh min omri raah

It is a wasted past, my love.

Wala shaf elkalb kablak farhah wahdah

My heart never saw happiness before you

Wala dak fi eldounya ghair taam el-jiraah.

My heart never saw anything in life other than
the taste of pain and suffering.

Where to Get Recordings of this Song

Artist: Various
CD Title: The Renaissance of Arabic Classics for Clubbers

Amazon Store:

Acknowledgements

About the Contributor of the First Translation

Linda Grondahl's background is that of a devoted lover of Arabic music and dance. She danced with Amina and the Aswan Dancers for many years. She took Arabic percussion with Mary Ellen Donald, Su Su Pampanin, George Dubai, Vince Deldado, and Tony Lammam. She took Arabic singing from Nicole Ibrahim, Mimi Spencer, Georges Lammam. On the oud, she studied under Nazir Latouf, Mimi Spencer, Abdullah Kdough. She was a member of the Aswat Arab-American Choir under the direction of Elias Lammam. She is now a member of the El Ashaab dance troupe, and Tahneen, the all-girl, all-American Middle eastern music ensemble. They have played for Arab and American events, and for many years at the Rakassah festival.

"I just saved whatever I could get my hands on, for years", writes Linda, "and really don't know why. It was always so dificult to get music, so I just kept on saving."

Linda lives in San Francisco, California. Her favorite color is any shade of purple.

About the Contributor of the Second Translation

Thanks are due Yasmina Ramzy of Arabesque Academy of Toronto, Canada for granting permission to share these beautiful song lyrics via this web site. The translation was done for Yasmina by her friend, the beloved and late Hani Guirguis of Toronto, Canada.

Also, many thanks to Tahseen Alkoudsi for providing the transliteration into the Roman alphabet of the Arabic-language lyrics. He died October 15, 2006.

About the Source

This article
originally appeared on Lennie Clark's web site, "Arabic Song Translations." Lennie created this web site in 2002 as a response to discussion on the Internet regarding incidents of dancers who performed inappropriate sensual dances to religious music. Lennie's web site resided on a free web hosting service known as Geocities.

When the planned October 2009 closure of the Geocities web hosting service was announced, Lennie and Shira agreed to move the contents of Lennie's site to Shira.net. To explore all the articles and song translations that once appeared on Lennie's Geocities site, visit Lennie's portal page here on Shira.net.

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